Searching Standard: Kingdra-GX / Quagsire Deck

With the recent release of the Towering Splash GX Box, the Pokemon with the largest amount of HP will soon be Standard legal. Coming in with a whopping 300 HP, Magikarp & Wailord-GX PR-SM SM166 will soon be a valuable tool for stall decks to utilize. As a result, decks in Standard will need to be able to figure out ways to deal with this massive wall. One such possible way is with the use of Kingdra-GX DRM 18.

While browsing through the forum on PokeBeach.com, I came across the following deck list created by JAlexanderL that features Kingdra-GX DRM 18. Let's take a look at the deck.

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Kingdra-GX DRM 18 is the star of this deck. With its Hydro Pump attack you have the potential to deal a massive amount of damage. By using it, you can deal anywhere from 60 damage all the way up to the 300 needed to knock out Magikarp & Wailord-GX PR-SM SM166 in one hit with relative ease. And while Hydro Pump will likely be your main attack with Kingdra-GX DRM 18, don't forget about Reverse Thrust. It's a great way to switch out a Kingdra-GX DRM 18 that's taken a fair amount of damage with a fresh Pokemon.

One final note, while Kingdra-GX DRM 18 isn't the only Pokemon-GX in the deck, it is the only one that can easily use its GX attack. So feel free to use its Maelstrom GX attack whenever you're able to KO one or more of your opponent's Benched Pokemon. Even though you might potentially be able to use Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60's Tapu Cure GX attack and heal up a couple of wounded Kingdra-GX DRM 18s, it's very difficult to do, while attacking with Kingdra-GX DRM 18's Maelstrom GX attack will be simple to accomplish.

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Speaking of Tapu Lele-GX GRI 60, its main purpose will be to search up a Supporter card from your deck. The best choice will be to find Cyrus Prism Star UPR 120, but if finding him isn't possible because he's in your Prize Cards, finding a Supporter that allows you to draw additional card is never a bad choice.

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Quagsire DRM 26 is the engine that could in this deck, allowing you to transfer Water Energy from your Benched Pokemon to your Active Pokemon. This is very crucial so that Kingdra-GX DRM 18 has enough energy to one-hit knock out (OHKO) any Pokemon that your opponent makes their Active Pokemon.

Speaking of Ultra Ball SUM 135, it's the best way this deck has to find the specific Pokemon you need. While it can be difficult to know what to discard when playing Ultra Ball SUM 135, it can be a good idea to get a copy or two of Water Energy into your discard pile, specifically for the next card...

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With Aqua Patch GRI 119 you're able to get a Water Energy that you either discarded or that was attached to a Pokemon you had in play that got knocked out and attach it to one of your Benched Pokemon. With water conservation techniques like this, you can certainly expect your win percentage to grow.

Tate & Liza CES 148 might help you if you need to switch your Active Pokemon with one from your bench. So will Switch SUM 132. Guzma BUS 115 does that as well plus it also switches your opponent's Active Pokemon with one of their Benched Pokemon of your choosing. Take advantage of that by bringing up one of their weaker Pokemon if possible for a OHKO.

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While I mentioned Ultra Ball SUM 135 earlier as a way to find any Pokemon you need, it's better to save this Item to find an evolution you might need. This is especially true if you happen to have Brooklet Hill GRI 120 in play as Brooklet Hill GRI 120 allows you to find whatever Basic Water Pokemon you need each turn.

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Cyrus Prism Star UPR 120 is very easy to play in this deck and is a great way to remove troublesome Pokemon from your opponent's Bench. Remember though, the opponent gets to choose which of their Pokemon get shuffled into their deck so they'll choose the ones that they find expendable as long as they have more than two Benched Pokemon.

Thank you to PokeBeach.com Forum user JAlexanderL for posting this decklist.

What do you think of this deck? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in the Pokemon TCG. I'll see you then!